Hong Kong police arrest seven crew members from both boats in holiday collision that killed 37

HONG KONG — Police arrested seven crew members Tuesday after a ferry and a company boat carrying more than 120 staff and family celebrating the mid-autumn festival collided, killing 37 people as the boat sank.

The boat, belonging to Hongkong Electric Co, controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, was taking passengers to watch fireworks in the city’s Victoria Harbour Monday evening when the two vessels collided near the picturesque outlying island of Lamma.

Five children were among the dead. More than 100 people were taken to hospital, with nine suffering serious injuries or in critical condition.

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“We suspect that somebody did not fulfill their responsibility, that’s why we made the arrests,” Police Commissioner Andy Tsang said. “We do not rule out the possibility that further arrests will be made.”

Those detained came from the crew of both vessels.

The collision sparked a major rescue involving dive teams, helicopters and boats that saw scores plucked from the sea. A large crane on a barge was connected to the stricken boat.

“Within 10 minutes, the ship had sunk. We had to wait at least 20 minutes before we were rescued,” said one male survivor, wrapped in a blanket.

The fireworks marked the mid-autumn festival, when the moon is full, and China’s National Day. Hong Kong returned to Chinese from British rule in 1997.

Hongkong Electric, a unit of Power Assets Holdings which is controlled by Mr. Li, Asia’s richest man, said the boat had capacity to hold up to 200 people.

The tragedy was the worst to hit Hong Kong since 1996 when more than 40 people died in a fire in a commercial building.

The ferry, owned by Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry Holdings, badly damaged its bow in the collision but made it safely to the pier on Lamma. Several of its 100 passengers and crew were injured.

“After the accident, it was all chaos and people were crying. Then water began seeping in and the vessel began to tilt to one side and people were all told to stand on the other side and everyone started putting on life jackets,” one passenger said.

A spokeswoman for Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry said the company was trying to assess what happened. “Our captain is not well and we have not been able to talk to him so far,” she said.

A Hong Kong Fire Services official said the search was hampered by poor visibility and the vessel being partly sunken. The search for survivors continued Tuesday.